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Drew Barrymore stars as a teen in the ’60s whose dreams of going to college and getting published are squashed by unexpected motherhood. Riding in Cars with Boys is a comedy/drama based on a true story that spans a few decades, seeing Barrymore’s character through a reluctant marriage, cold and everlasting disappointment from her father, and struggles with her drug-addicted husband. The big question is whether or not she’s a good mother. She asks herself this throughout the movie, and our allegiance is often torn between Barrymore and her son, played by different actors as he grows into adulthood. It’s refreshing to see a movie that even suggest motherhood might be anything other than a wondrous miracle. Director Penny Marshall doesn’t portray it as a life-ruining curse, either. Instead she just poses the question. In the end, it’s a combination of obstacles and blessings.

The relationship between mother and son becomes the heart of the movie, and it’s to the film’s credit that you’re rooting for both characters to reach some sort of resolution with each other. Barrymore gives possibly her best performance to date here, in a role that asks a bit more of her than we’re used to seeing. Steve Zahn turns in a good performance as the troubled husband, Brittany Murphy is memorable as Barrymore’s best friend, and Adam Garcia does well as the son at age twenty. Other notable cast members include James Woods, Lorraine Bracco, Sara Gilbert, Desmond Harrington, and Rosie Perez.